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It's been so long since it's been here.... (George Harrison)




Ron and I walked outside this morning and looked to the sky. We shaded our eyes, squinting, rubbing them with wonder and awe. What, pray tell, was that foreign object in the sky; an orange orb lighting up the world? It was the sun, of course! We just hadn't seen it in so long.....

Happy St. Patrick's Day, ya'all. Even in Hawaii, everyone is Irish on St. Paddy's Day. We're headed downtown this afternoon, to a bastion of Haoli-ness. It's an Irish Pub called Nichols Public House. They promised to open at 8 a.m. this morning to be serving cornbeef and cabbage all day. It'll be a nice change from all the sushi, saimin and stir fry we've been consuming lately. We did find a tasty little gourmet pizza at the Kiawe Grill in Volcano a few nights ago. Anyway, we're going to the pub early so we can still make our bedtime. That's important when you get to be our age.

The rain has brought out some beautiful wonders around the yard. Yesterday, I discovered this orchid blooming in a pot on the driveway. The anthuriums, those cool red things, are loving all this cloudiness and dampness. They are one of those rainforest floor plants that abhor dry, sunny days.

I hope to produce a new episode #2 of the podcast this weekend or early next week at the latest.

They're still digging out of the mud and debris on the island of Kauai. Five people are still missing. They were washed away by an 18 foot wall of water when a dam broke due to pressure from too much rain. Mt. Waialele (the tallest peak on Kauai and the wettest spot on earth) has receive more than 100 inches of rain the past three weeks!
Meanwhile, here on the Big Island, they are forcasting six inches of snow at the summit of Mauna Kea. Kauai is still under flash flood watch, as are we, Maui and Oahu. They're now telling us it might begin to dry up starting Wednesday. They've said that at least a half dozen times over the past three weeks, so I take it with a big fat grain of salt.
That's it for this entry. I'm headed outside to relish in the dry weather. It's no longer sunny, but it's not raining, and that's a start. And it may only last another moment of two. Aloha!

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